Full Breakdown
Lara Gut-Behrami Retires After Decade-Long Dominance in Alpine Skiing
8/6/2026, 10:31:52 PM
Lara Gut-Behrami Announces Retirement
Swiss speed specialist Lara Gut-Behrami confirmed on Thursday that she is ending her Alpine-skiing career. The 35-year-old cited a severe knee injury sustained in November training at Copper Mountain, Colorado, as the decisive factor. She had intended to conclude the 2025-26 season in March, but the injury prevented her from competing.
Career Achievements
Gut-Behrami’s résumé includes an Olympic super-G gold from the 2022 Beijing Games and a total of three Olympic medals. She captured the 2021 world titles in both super-G and giant slalom, adding a downhill bronze on the same Cortina d’Ampezzo course that will host the upcoming Milan-Cortina Olympics. Her 48 World Cup victories—24 in super-G—rank fifth all-time among women, and she amassed 101 podiums across 395 World Cup starts. She was the overall World Cup champion in 2016 and again in 2024, trailing only Vreni Schneider among Swiss women for total wins.
Injury History and Retirement Decision
Gut-Behrami’s career has been punctuated by serious injuries. A hip injury forced her out of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and a torn left ACL occurred at the 2017 World Championships in St. Moritz. The most recent setback involved ruptured ligaments and meniscus damage to her left knee after a crash in training. In her retirement statement, she emphasized that the injury “cannot be considered a tragedy” and noted that, after nearly two decades in elite sport, she wishes to avoid chronic pain and the pressure of pushing limits “at all costs.”
Future Plans
The skier indicated an intention to relocate to England, where her husband Valon Behrami—formerly a Swiss midfielder—works in the front office of Watford FC, a second-tier English club. She expressed optimism about life beyond competition and the opportunity to support her family in a new environment.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I have been fortunate and honored to enjoy such a long career, to express my dreams and ambitions through skiing, and to experience this journey alongside extraordinary people,” — Gut-Behrami
- “I consider that a knee injury, as complex as it is, cannot be considered a tragedy,” — Gut-Behrami
